To permit everyone to easily cut a workpiece without generating sparks or cutting chips.

This cutting apparatus includes: a reciprocating mechanism 20 for reciprocating a workpiece W to be cut; a cutting edge 31 which is disposed to divide a reciprocating area of the workpiece into two portions and cuts the workpiece by progressively biting the workpiece to be reciprocated; a cutting edge movement mechanism 40 for moving the cutting edge toward the workpiece; and a cutting edge advance mechanism 50 for advancing the cutting edge toward the workpiece by each predetermined amount and for retaining the advanced cutting edge so as not to retreat. The cutting edge movement mechanism moves the cutting edge toward the workpiece and abuts the cutting edge on a surface of the workpiece to detect an abutment state and to set an origin in starting a cutting operation. After the workpiece completes advance thereof from one area to the other area of the divided workpiece, the cutting edge advance mechanism is operated before the workpiece re-advances from the other area to the one area.